Nothing But the Truth
Avi
Scholastic
Published January 1, 2010 (Orig. 1991)
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About Nothing But the Truth
When Philip Malloy starts humming along to his school’s daily playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, his insistence on continuing to do so even after his teacher, Miss Margaret Narwin, asks him to stop sets in motion a chain of events that will soon ripple out beyond anything Phil or Miss Narwin could have imagined. Phil’s friends, his teachers, and the school administration are soon swept up in the controversy…and that’s just the beginning!
Distinctions and Praise For Nothing But the Truth: A Newbery Honor Book; A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book; An ALA Notable Book; An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
“The story of Philip Malloy, his family, friends, teachers and school, shouts to be shared.” — The New York Times
“It is clear that Avi is attuned to the modern high school scene. With frankness and remarkable insight, he conveys the flaws of the system while creating a story that is both entertaining and profound.” — Publishers Weekly
My Review
I had several holds that were all about to come in at the library, so I was looking for a short book that I could read in the meantime when I discovered this one.
This whole story is told through transcripts of conversations, memos, news stories, letters, and diary entries. The lack of cell phones and computers or social media as well as how the characters speak makes the story feel a bit dated. (It was written in 1991, after all.)
Despite that, the theme– the truth so easily getting lost in the telling of events that engage emotions– resonates deeply today.
Philip reports to his parents that his problems at school are because his teacher doesn’t like him. His parents assume the issue is personal. When they learn the school asked him to stop singing the national anthem, they encourage him to stand up for his rights.
Suddenly what began as Phil’s attempt to get kicked out of his English teacher’s class becomes this huge media firestorm. It paints him as this humble youth whose school is suppressing his patriotism.
It was weird reading a book that so clearly encapsulates this kind of situation. Yet it was written before the rise of social media and our current “fake news” media conspiracy-minded cultural moment.
At the back of the book, Avi shares how often educators would come up to him at school visits and ask if he wrote the book about their situation. At first I found this shocking. But as I started to think about it, I considered my experiences in which parents and schools operate in an adversarial relationship. So little trust exists between these parties. It doesn’t take much to unravel it.
Conclusion
Nothing But the Truth is a deeply thought-provoking read. The writing style may not appeal much to today’s readers, but the message resonates all the same.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Brief profanity used twice.
Romance/Sexual Content
References to a romantic crush.
Spiritual Content
Brief reference to prayer/church.
Violent Content
None.
Drug Content
None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the public library. All opinions are my own.
